KENZO and Levi’s have joined forces to create a Fall 2023 capsule collection. The collection marks the first collaboration under Nigo at KENZO and fuses the cultural heritages of the Parisian-Japanese fashion house and the American apparel company.
The denim-focused collection exemplifies the ongoing mix of historical Japanese dressmaking with classic American workwear. The 20-piece collection is composed of garments and accessories crafted mainly in Kaihara premium Japanese denim.
Pieces in the KENZO x Levi’s capsule collection are branded with a marque uniting the classic Levi Strauss & Co. two horse pull logo with the KENZO logo. Back pockets feature the iconic Levi’s arcuate stitching whilst embroidered KENZO logos appear above pockets as a nod to the chain-stitched name badges found on factory worker uniforms in the early 20th century.
The collection’s gender-inclusive outerwear includes a denim jacket with a detachable faux fur collar, and a denim fringe jacket with Western yokes, both inspired by 1980s archival pieces from the KENZO JUNGLE line. The Levi’s Type II Trucker Jacket from 1967 has been reimagined in red satin with a Boke flower and Western details.
A gender-inclusive denim shirt features chain-stitch and sawtooth pocket detailing. Sleeveless button-down denim dresses inspired by Kenzo Takada pieces from the 80s can be worn as layering elements and feature in a dark blue or the KENZO JEANS floral print. Dungarees reminiscent of the original Levi’s archetype appear in both a dark indigo rinse and the trompe l’oeil Sashiko print.
Gender-inclusive Levi’s 501 Jeans include a vintage-washed denim interpretation hand-distressed in Japan and a rinse indigo adaptation with leather and denim suspenders. The collection is tied together with accessories that complement the collection’s conversation between workwear and tailoring. Accessories include a denim tie, denim cardholder, and a red Western bandana
The capsule collection epitomises the real-to-wear functionality key to Nigo’s KENZO approach. An avid collector of historical clothing, the designer’s archives in Japan hold a considerable catalogue of American denim pieces including original Levi Strauss & Co. workwear created for cowboys and miners. His passion for denim is reflected in the legacy of Kenzo Takada whose interest in denim inspired him to launch the KENZO JEANS line in 1986.
The East-meets-West philosophy at the heart of KENZO x Levi's was framed by a campaign shot in Kyoto. Nigo invited Japanese filmmaker Umi Ishihara to capture the collection in cinematic moving imagery filmed in two traditional sansou mountain villas in Kyoto. The locations play host to a series of still images photographed by Inner Mongolian photographer Rya Ika.
